In response to the announcement that the U.N. voted to adopt a treaty that calls for the total elimination nuclear weapons, Jon Rainwater, Executive Director of Peace Action, released the following statement:

“The treaty represents a major step towards eliminating the catastrophic threat that nuclear weapons pose to humanity and life on earth. By boldly outlawing the possession of nuclear weapons the treaty fundamentally changes the terms of the global nuclear weapons debate. This treaty draws a bright line in international law that will be hard to ignore. Over time this clear legal standard can reframe a debate still dominated by obsolete ideas of deterrence and “mutually assured destruction” that obscure the real world moral consequences of nuclear weapons use.

Preaching temperance from a barstool never works. The U.S. can not lead the push for nuclear non-proliferation on the Korean peninsula while it spends billions to maintain one of the world’s two biggest nuclear arsenals. It’s time for the U.S. to get off of the barstool and lead by example.